Mitt Romney's sharply-worded attack on President Obama over a pair of deadly riots in Muslim countries last night has backfired badly among foreign policy hands of both parties, who cast it as hasty and off-key, released before the facts were clear at what has become a moment of tragedy.

..."I guess we see now that... (the Romney team is) incompetent at talking effectively about foreign policy," said (a) Republican. "This is just unbelievable — when they decide to play on it they completely bungle it."

Let's just say that's not the picture Fox Nation paints. As I write this post, at the top of the page, Fox Nation trumpets the following headline as its main story:

Showing 11 reactions

I’m shocked; my world is turned upsidedown. Dennis Miller actually said something I can agree with (cfr. about 3:54 ET, on the rerun of O’Reilly’s show:

“… half of us out here are scared witless …”

Shucks, Dennis, that’s the state you want them to be in and stay in. Fearful people are easy to manipulate and it’s your job to keep stoking the fires of war.

O’Reilly clearly wants to see the blood (of others) start to flow: “kill the Salafis”, he said (Assad Sr. is clapping in his grave); “force the hand” (aka attack) Egypt’s government on the grounds that they elected the Muslim Brotherhood to office; It’s that sort of lynch-mob talk that scares ME witless.

The drums of war they are a-beating and we are significantly outnumbered by the rest of the world.

mlp ! commented: “In any case, IMHO, free speech that endangers anyone should have some sort of limit.”

Couldn’t agree more and Europe – which actually experienced terror and dictatorship – is way ahead of the USA in trying to discourage hate-speech.

I remain totally perplexed by the mind-boggling contradiction that characterises America’s application of the principle of freedom of speech:

total protection of the violence-inciting sort of talk (mostly but not exclusively by rightwing elements with Taliban tendencies) yet doing everything possible to impede the exchange of ideas (mostly but not exclusively by liberals). While the former helps keep people ignorant and quivering in fear, the latter frees them from fear through knowledge.
Augh! Elder-ess Bemused has spoken.

All day I’ve heard the argument that punishing those that made the movie is a dangerous threat to the right of free speech. While I realize that, I do know that the right of free speech does not give me the right to shout ‘Fire’ in a crowded theater, or ‘Hijack’ on any plane. (And wasn’t someone arrested for waering a ‘Bush Sucks’ shirt to one of his campaign speeches?)
In any case, IMHO, free speech that endangers anyone should have some sort of limit.

Camille: Hear, hear.
I saw part of Obama’s reaction to what had happened and found him to be firm and above all statesman-like: After affirming the fundamental nature of America as a country that respects all religions, he went on to say that nothing could justify what happened in Bengazi. None of the chest-beating gorilla behaviour I’m sure the foxy faithful would have preferred.
Those who financed and made the film that reportedly set off the riots in Cairo and Bengazi should be charged with fomenting unrest and inciting violence. They knew perfectly well what they were doing; and three Americans and an unknown number of Libyans are D-E-A-D because of that stupid little stunt.

According to BBC world, the film was made quite a while ago. Makes mee wonder why it surfaced just now, on 9/11 and only 56 days before 11/6. If this turns out to be the last straw for true Republicans, I’ll be as happy as Anne-Claire declared herself to be on another thread.

Really can’t wait to see how Hannity spins this tonight. Usually, in this type of case, I expect Hannity and his lap dogs to dig up some Obama quote, any quote, about a similar tragedy and try and spin that Obama did the same as a candidate. I’m sure they’re working hard to find something they can spin right now.

I’ve been saying it lately, and am currently finishing up dissecting one of the memes for this, but when something is too far over the line for even Fox News, they send it to Fox Nation or foxnews.com’s opinion section to test the waters.

What kind of response they get tells them how to phase it into the network. And this is one of the two most likely returning memes to be brought back next. Even in the attack department, they’re down to recycling. That’s sad.